CLAT Application Date:01 Aug' 25 - 31 Oct' 25
The NIRF 2025 Law rankings have been published and there are some major changes compared to last year. Interestingly, the names of four NLUs which were part of the NIRF law rankings last year are not included in this year’s ranking. The four NLUs being talked about here are MNLU Mumbai, RGNUL Patiala, NUALS Kochin and DSNLU Visakhapatnam. There are seven new entrants in the NIRF 2025 Law rankings, including big names like Cochin University of Science & Technology, Central University of South Bihar, S.R.M. Institute of Science & Technology and HPNLU Shimla. CNLU Patna became the biggest gainer as it jumped up by 14 places to 17th rank in NIRF 2025 Law rankings from 31st place in 2024. Christ University lost the maximum places as it slipped from 15th to 24th in the NIRF law rankings.
Name | Rank 2024 | Rank 2025 | Change (Rank) |
NLSIU Bengaluru | 1 | 1 | – |
NLU Delhi | 2 | 2 | – |
NALSAR Hyderabad | 3 | 3 | – |
WBNUJS Kolkata | 4 | 4 | – |
GNLU Gandhinagar | 8 | 5 | ▲ +3 |
IIT Kharagpur (Law) | 7 | 6 | ▲ +1 |
Symbiosis Law School, Pune | 5 | 7 | ▼ -2 |
Jamia Millia Islamia | 6 | 8 | ▼ -2 |
Aligarh Muslim University | 12 | 9 | ▲ +3 |
Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan | 9 | 10 | ▼ -1 |
SASTRA University | 14 | 11 | ▲ +3 |
BBAU Lucknow | 10 | 12 | ▼ -2 |
Cochin University of Science & Tech (New) | – | 13 | – |
KIIT Bhubaneswar | 11 | 14 | ▼ -3 |
NLU Odisha, Cuttack | 26 | 15 | ▲ +11 |
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Law College | 16 | 16 | – |
CNLU Patna | 31 | 17 | ▲ +14 |
UPES Dehradun | 28 | 18 | ▲ +10 |
Saveetha Institute | 13 | 19 | ▼ -6 |
Alliance University | 18 | 20 | ▼ -2 |
Dr. RMLNLU Lucknow | 20 | 21 | ▼ -1 |
GGSIPU Delhi | 17 | 22 | ▼ -5 |
Central University of South Bihar (New) | – | 23 | – |
Christ University | 15 | 24 | ▼ -9 |
SRM Institute of Science & Tech (New) | – | 25 | – |
Lovely Professional University | 19 | 26 | ▼ -7 |
NLIU Bhopal | 21 | 27 | ▼ -6 |
MNLU Nagpur | 34 | 28 | ▲ +6 |
University of Lucknow | 23 | 29 | ▼ -6 |
NUSRL Ranchi | 22 | 30 | ▼ -8 |
ICFAI Hyderabad | 36 | 31 | ▲ +5 |
Manipal University Jaipur | 29 | 32 | ▼ -3 |
Nirma University (New) | – | 33 | – |
HPNLU Shimla (New) | – | 34 | – |
NLU Assam (NLUJAA) | 27 | 35 | ▼ -8 |
Galgotias University (New) | – | 36 | – |
Army Institute of Law | 30 | 37 | ▼ -7 |
GITAM Visakhapatnam | 37 | 38 | ▼ -1 |
Amity University Haryana | 33 | 39 | ▼ -6 |
Central University of Punjab (New) | – | 40 | – |
A total of seven new law schools found a place in the latest NIRF Law Schools. Out of the total seven new entrants, one is an NLU, two are Central University and the remaining four are private law colleges. HPNLU Shimla was ranked 34th in the NIRF 2025 law rankings. Talking about private law schools, Cochin University of Science and Technology got rank 13, followed by SRM at 25, Galgotias at 26 and NIRMA at 39. The table below comprises all seven new entrants in the latest rankings.
Name | City | Rank 2025 | Score 2025 |
Cochin University of Science & Technology | Cochin | 13 | 65.19 |
Central University of South Bihar | Gaya | 23 | 58.84 |
S.R.M. Institute of Science & Technology | Chennai | 25 | 58 |
Himachal Pradesh NLU | Shimla | 34 | 53.49 |
Galgotias University | Gautam Budh Nagar | 36 | 53.7 |
Nirma University | Ahemadabad | 39 | 53.22 |
Central University of Punjab | Bathinda | 40 | 52.7 |
The new law schools that made it to the NIRF 2025 law rankings replaced the same number of colleges from the NIRF 2024 rankings.
MNLU Mumbai has not been included in the NIRF top law colleges list 2025 a preferred NLU among CLAT aspirants. Four of the total seven colleges excluded from the NIRF 2025 list are National Law Universities. Apart from MNLU Mumbai, RGNLU Patiala, NUALS Kochi, and DSNLU Visakhapatnam have not been included in the list. The complete list of law colleges that were included in the NIRF Law rankings last year, but excluded this year, is mentioned below:
Name | City | Rank 2024 | Score 2024 |
Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law | Patiala | 24 | 54.7 |
Banaras Hindu University | Varanasi | 25 | 54.54 |
MNLU Mumbai | Mumbai | 31 | 51.7 |
Indian Law Institute | New Delhi | 35 | 50.25 |
NUALS Kochi | Kochi | 38 | 47.96 |
Amity University (West Bengal) | North 24 Parganas | 39 | 47.94 |
DSNLU | Visakhapatnam | 39 | 47.94 |
While the NLUs and BHU have been excluded from NIRF 2025 this year, they continue to remain the preferred law schools among students. BHU is one of the most preferred law schools among students participating in the Common Universities Entrance Examination (CUET), while NLU Mumbai, NLU Kochi and RGNLU Patiala have many takers among the top 2000 CLAT rank holders.
Name | Rank 2024 | Rank 2025 | Rank Gained |
Chanakya National Law University, Patna | 31 | 17 | 14 |
NLU Cuttack | 26 | 15 | 11 |
UPES | 28 | 18 | 10 |
MNLU Nagpur | 34 | 28 | 6 |
ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education, Hyderabad | 36 | 31 | 5 |
Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar | 8 | 5 | 3 |
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh | 12 | 9 | 3 |
Shanmugha Arts Science Technology & Research Academy, Thanjavur | 14 | 11 | 3 |
IIT Kharagpur | 7 | 6 | 1 |
The NIRF rankings 2025 for law schools saw major shuffles. The data given above shows, one of the biggest gainers in these rankings was CNLU Patna. The National Law University of Bihar jumped up 11 places to 17th in the NIRF Law rankings 2025. Similarly, NLU Cuttack, which was ranked 26th in 2024, jumped up 11 ranks to be awarded rank 15 in NIRF 2025 law rankings. Among private law schools, UPES Dehradun was the top gainer, progressing to 18th rank from 28th.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
While NLUs are costly, you can still pursue government-funded law education through state-funded universities and their affiliated colleges that accept CLAT scores, such as institutes like Banaras Hindu University and Aligarh Muslim University.
I hope it will clear your query!!
It is always better to take the CLAT exam right after Class 12 if your goal is to build a career in law, because CLAT UG is specifically designed for admission into integrated five-year law programs like BA LLB, BCom LLB, or BBA LLB. Appearing after Class 12 saves you time, as you complete both graduation and law together in a single course. On the other hand, if you first complete graduation and then plan for law, you will not be eligible for CLAT UG but instead for CLAT PG, which is meant for admission into LLM programs. This path takes longer, because you first spend three or four years on graduation and then add another three years in an LLB program if you choose not to go for an integrated course. So, if you are already sure about pursuing law as your career, writing CLAT right after Class 12 is the smarter and time-saving option, while writing it after graduation makes sense only if you are considering higher studies in law or a shift in career later.
For CLAT, the most important topics are from Legal Reasoning, Current Affairs & GK, the Indian Constitution, English Language, Quantitative Techniques and Logical Reasoning. For a brief detail you can go through the following link: https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-important-topics
Thank You.
Hi dear candidate,
Both the colleges Maharaja Agrasen (MAIMS) or Gitarattan (GIBS) are affiliated to IP University and allows admission either by CLAT or IPU CET Law. Without either of these exams, your admission is NOT accepted there. You can try looking for management quota seats in these colleges if you have got good marks in 12th class.
BEST REGARDS
Hi dear candidate,
You can easily register yourself for CLAT exam by visiting the Consortium of NLUs official website and follow these steps:
Know the complete process at:
CLAT Registration 2026 (Started): Documents Required, Application Fee, Link, Steps to Apply
BEST REGARDS
700+ Campus placements at top national and global law firms, corporates and judiciaries
Grade 'A+' accredited by NAAC | Ranked 33rd by NIRF 2025
18 years of shaping legal professionals | In-house judicial coaching | Proven success in National Moot Court Competitions
NAAC A+ Grade | Among top 100 universities of India (NIRF 2024) | 40 crore+ scholarships distributed
India's youngest NAAC A++ accredited University | NIRF rank band 151-200 | Approved by Bar Council of India
100+ Industry collaborations | 10+ Years of legacy